‘Squirrel Camp’ delves into Yukon squirrels’ behavior

Since the Kluane Red Squirrel Project opened in Canada’s Yukon in 1987, researchers have captured data on generations of North American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) in the region. “What Jane Goodall did with chimpanzees and Dian Fossey did with mountain gorillas, KRSP researchers do with squirrels,” writes the Washington Post in a recent article on this so-called Squirrel Camp. The research that biologists carry out at the camp has led to nearly 100 scientific papers on subjects ranging from the impacts of climate change on reproduction to what happens when a squirrel takes over a dead squirrel’s midden. The project is a collaboration between the University of Alberta, McGill University, the University of Saskatchewan, the University of Guelph and the University of Michigan. “I think this is the longest-running study of individual squirrels anywhere,” said the University of Michigan’s Ben Dantzer.

Read more in the Washington Post.